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house, and several servants ran to Mr. Maynard in alarm, to tell
him that the soldiers had got to fighting among themselves,
**Where is the sergeant in charge of the guard, their officer?”
‘asked Lord Dunmore of ‘the alarmed butler who came with the
news. :
. ‘He is one of the men that is fighting, sir. I gave them some
_ drink with their meat, and they kept asking for more, till they’re
e | drunk.” .
: “Let the sots fight,” said his lordship, indignantly. “I would
not leave the table to save the lives of the whole worthless crew!
A soldier who cannot keep sober when on duty isn’t worth the
powder that would blow him into another world.”
r. Maynard turned pale.. He was not used to having his
house used as a battle-field for drunken soldiers, and he said to
the butler: :
“At least force them to do their fighting out of doors. His
» “. lordship does not wish the brawl to‘ reach his ears. Call all the
servants, and see to it.” : .
The butler went to obey the order, and his-lordship rather
“nervously turned to his wine.
“This will force me to stay with you over night,’{ he said. “I
cannot go onjin a dangerous neighborhood with) a drunken
. escort.”
: “True, my lord; and while.I regret the cause, I rejoice that I
haye the opportunity to offer you the hospitality of my, roof.”
“Thanks, friend Maynard.. Your kindness and loyalty will
not be forgotten. And now we'll dismiss’ the annoyance from
our minds. T’ll read those rascals a lecture in.the morning, and
when they return they shall be punished. And now—egad!—
_ we'll make a night of it ourselves, and have a jolly time. Ah!
: what's here?” : < \
A courier, covered with dust, entered the room, and handed
Lord Dunmore a sealed packet, saying: - . .
“My lord, I was ordered by your secretary to give; you this
without a moment of delay.”
Lord Dunmore broke the seal of the packet, and before he had
_ read half its contents, his face was whiter than the paper he held
' in his trembling hands, ' .
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CHAPTER IX.
- LORD DUNMORE’S PLAN.‘ .
So white indeed was Lord Dunmore’s face that Fanny May-
nard who had just come down from her chamber, alarmed by the
noise made by the drunken soldiers, cried out: ,
“My lord, are you ill?” .
. “Til at ease!” he cried, mastering his agitation with an effort.
“That infernal young rebel, Ned Pembertou, has got to sea with
his schooner, and in his audacity fired into his majesty’s | frigate
Bellerophon in- passing her, killing or wounding twenty-three
men. But he willnot escape. The two fastest corvettes in the
fleet are after him.” ‘
“Why dida large frigate allow asmall schooner to come so
close and then escape?” asked Fanny. —
“Tt is more than I can tell. No further particulars are given in
my dispatch. But there is more news that annoys me. The
Patriots, orrather rebels, are rising on every side. One Wood-
ford, a relative of this same Pemberton is raising a full regiment
near Norfolk, and they threaten to seize my person or drive
me back to England.” ; ,
“My lord, it cannot be possible,” cried Mr. Maynard.
“There is no doubt of it.. Even now, Iam assured that, right
here in old Culpepper, there are nearly two hundred men
panded together as Sons of Liberty, who are sworn rebels.”
‘Shocking! I would exterminate them root and branch.”
«Tintend to—” ~ c
“My lord, have you ever seen the pest which troubles our
planters so much—the Canada thistle?” asked Fanny.
“Yes, fair lady, but what has that todo with the subject of
our conversation ?”’ \ .
“Only an idea that came in my mind just now. They say the
more one tries to exterminate this new thistle, the wider he
- gpreads the seed, and he gets his fingers pricked besides.”
“Ah! you mean that in trying to crush rebellion we spread
: it?” ye :
Poe “Yes, my lord. Had conciliation been brought to Boston in-
stead of bayonets, his majesty would not now find an army en-
bo yvironed there by five times their numberof Patriots.” ao
who “Conciliation from a king! Were I in his majesty’s place,
y Boston would even now be in ashes."” ‘ '
. “Tt is well for humanity, my lord, that you are not king.” */
And Fanny with a flush on her lovely face withdrew from the
m.- .
, rer excnse her, my lord. 'Thoso Pembertons have put. the
' strangest notions in her head. But they shall never enter my
house again. Maude isa very lovely and intelligent girl, and
seaestl
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my child has been lonely since her. mother’s death. This is the
only excuse I have for permitting the intimacy.” .
“Lovely and intelligent, this Pemberton girl? Why do you
not marry her and bring her into loyalty by that obedience
which a wife owes to her husband!” u
“By Jupiter, my lord, you have put a new idea in my head.
But 1 am fully as old as her father. It is not likely she or he
would listen to a proposal from me.”
. “They would, if it were backed with a certain knowledge of a
confiscation of all their property, in case of refusal. And his
majesty has wisely put a powerin my hands which I can use.
No known disloyal subject can hold property without my. con-
sent. I can seize and hold for his majesty’s use, lands, moneys,
plate, stock—everything in short I choose to lay my hands on.”
‘‘Mande Pemberton is a high-bred and lovely girl. She would
be a credit to any household, were she not tainted with the spirit
of this rebellion.” .
“Friend Maynard cure her. You shall have my authority to
back you. It will punisb this rebel brother of hers, too, for ifI
have heard aright he has aimed at your daughter’s hand. He
would hardly wish to-wéd his own sister’s step-daughter.”
“Right again, mylord. The more I think of it, the better I
like the idea.”
“Then execute it.”
“YT will, my lord. But will not your lordship delay your visit
to the Pemberton mansion tillI break the ice there. “I have a
good excuse for a visit. Maude only a few days ago asked mo
to let my daughter pay her a visit of a few days’ duration. I
willaccede to the wish, but invite myself to be of the party.”
“The idea is good, Itis even possible, when you hint at cer-
‘| tain contingencies, that Basil Pemberton will espouse the king's
side and recall his son from rebellion, if the young rascal has not
already been killed or taken.”
“Then I will put it in execution as soon as you leave, my
ord,” i °
“Which will be to-morrow morning, if those drunken soldiers
are fit to ride.. Give orders to keep liquor from them during the
rest of their stay.” ' ‘\ .
Fanny being notified that Lord Dunmore would stay to dinner,
gave the proper orders to the butler and cooks, and then giving
her headache as an excuse, ordered a saddle-horse and rode ~. '
ee
away from the house.. °
That. her course lay toward the ‘‘trysting-tree” may be in-
ferred, though she hardly expected to meet any one there, or
even to find a letter in the knot-hole used as a letter-box.” .
But she was agreeably disappointed when she rodeo up and
thrust her gloved hand inte the rustic: post-office. There was
a letter, and well she knew the handwriting as she saw her name.
To tear it open and read it was a second’s occupation. It was
from Ned Pemberton, giving a laughable account of the pom-
pous approach of Spence Sturges and his party to the schooner,
and their ignominious return.. He had written when he was
just ready for sea, and did not know when he would have
another chance to write: But Maude would sce her as often as
she could, and show a sister’s love. ‘ \
Fanny was as happy now as she'could be in his absence. He
had not forgotten her, even in the excitement of his new com-
mand, and while everything around him was calculated to call
his mind away from her. Bye
Placing the letter over her heart she rode’ on, wishing to so
prolong her ride as to be absent at,dinner-time, for she had no
heart to try to entertain Lord Dunmore or any other slave of a
tyrant king. sO -
CHAPTER X.
- UNDER FALSE COLORS.
“Two sails—square-rigged, close hauled, and_as near in our
wake as they can get—just hull down astern,” was the report
which greeted Ned Pemberton, when, according to orders, he
was called at daylight on their first morning at sea.
“Allrighé. Tell Mr. Clewline ’'ll be on deck in a minute,”
said the yonng captain. ,
Hardly half the time elapsed before he was by the side of his
first officer. i .
“What craft do you make ont astern?” he asked, for Clewline
stood with his,spy-glass in hand looking at the newly discovered
vessels.
“A brig and a sloop-of-war, sir.”’
“Where are we?” :
“A little to the south of Cape Henlopen.” ‘
“Sail hol” was sung out at this moment from aloft.
“Where away?” cried Clewline. :
“A little on the weather bow, sir—over the point of land.”>” ‘*
“What does she look like?” “
“A ship, sir, standing out dead before the wind.”
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